A Twisted Tale of Cinderella
by Saph-fire
Summary: In order to escape an abusive family, Annabeth accepts a job offered by a successful man despite his vague description of the job. After arriving at his lavish mansion, she is shocked to learn that she is now his son Percy's personal caretaker. Nothing seems out of the ordinary until she finds out that the family she works for is involved in a three-way arms race.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**Full Summary: In order to escape poverty and an abusive family, Annabeth accepts a job offered by a successful ship designer/builder despite his vague description of the job. After arriving at his lavish mansion, she is shocked to learn that she is now his son Percy's personal caretaker. All seems well at first until she finds out that the family she works for is involved in a three-way arms race. If it were any other employer, Annabeth would quit in an instant. But she finds that she can't because she wants to remain at the side of Percy Jackson.**

* * *

**A Twisted Tale of Cinderella**

**Chapter 1**

Annabeth cried as she sat at her father's bedside, her blond hair was glowing in the candlelit room. Her father coughed up a mouth full of blood and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Father?" Annabeth whispered. Her father didn't respond. "Father? Father!" The seventeen-year-old girl buried her head into her hands and sobbed. Her father had always told her that it was important to be strong, especially in this day and age. She couldn't afford to show weakness to anyone. But Annabeth thought that this was an exception.

Frederick Chase passed away painfully, that much she knew. The look on his face before and right after blood spilled from his mouth was enough to let Annabeth know.

The girl wiped her eyes with the skirt of her dress and looked at the lifeless face of her father. Now, Annabeth had no real family left in this world.

A bejeweled hand gripped Annabeth's shoulder and she flinched. She glanced behind her and saw her stepmother looking at her, not with comfort and warmth, but with disappointment and anger. Two boys just two years younger than Annabeth stood behind her stepmother. Annabeth looked into the boys' eyes, searching for any sign of kindness. She needed any she could find. But the boys glanced at one another and then back at her, unfazed.

Her stepmother held Annabeth's chin, redirecting her sight towards the older woman. More tears streamed down Annabeth's face.

"Annabeth, dear," she said harshly, "dry your tears." Annabeth tried to wipe away the new trails of water coming from her eyes, but they were soon replaced with more. Stepmother let go of Annabeth's chin and gave her a look of contempt. "Did you not hear me? Dry your tears." Annabeth let out another stream of tears before quickly wiping them away and then pinching the bridge of her nose, effectively halting her tears.

"My f-father-" Annabeth began but was quickly cut off.

"Hush, child. He has left this world. And if you have any sense at all, you will disregard his memory for it will only bring hurt."

Annabeth stood up still pinching her nose. Her stepbrothers smiled when they saw Annabeth's dress had ridden up her leg. Annabeth hardly noticed because she was too distracted with the departure of her father.

"Now, Annabeth. We must get to work. I have fired the housekeepers, cooks and maids." Her stepmother said then blew out the candles on the nightstand. Now the light leaking out from the hallway only illuminated the room.

"Fired? Why?" Annabeth asked and straightened out the skirt of her dress.

Annabeth had grown up in the lap of luxury. Her father was the owner of a publishing company and had several investments that financed their large home. Annabeth's life had been easy, up until her biological mother passed away. Wanting his daughter to have a positive female role model in her life, Frederick Chase remarried soon after.

"Now that your father is dead," Stepmother didn't care how blunt she sounded, "We no longer have someone to provide for us a living so we must make due with what we have."

"But what about the company or the investments?" Everything sounded fishy to Annabeth. Despite being a pampered only child, Annabeth was knowledgeable about business workings. "I have helped my father conduct his business and even with him gone, the company can survive and his investments will still make us money."

"Nonsense. Without your father, the business would have died. Luckily, I sold it at a generous price."

Annabeth gasped.

"You sold my father's company? But that is his life's work, his legacy!" Annabeth looked back at her father's deathbed. "He prepared me to run it if he were not able to."

"You are a child, Annabeth. You cannot be trusted with such things!"

Annabeth opened her mouth to protest when the sting of a slap met her face. Her stepmother had hit her. This woman never laid a hand on Annabeth before. In fact, she never paid Annabeth any attention at all.

"Be a lady and only speak when you have permission to, Annabeth. Now, since we no longer have a staff, go cook dinner. The gentlemen from the morgue will be here soon to take Frederick's body away." Annabeth looked to her stepbrothers' faces to see if this was some sort of elaborate joke. It had to be. No one was this cruel. But she found no sign of humor.

"But what about a funeral?"

"We have no money for it, darling."

"But-"

"Do as you're told, child!" Stepmother yelled at her. Annabeth flinched and surrendered.

"Yes, stepmother." Annabeth yeilded and exited her father's room for the last time, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Stepmother must have just fired the staff only a few moments ago because dishes were still soapy and a pot of water on the stove was still hot.

While Annabeth wrapped up dinner, her stepbrothers walked into the kitchen. Annabeth gave them a sincere but watery smile. She had let more tears flow while she was preparing dinner.

"Matthew, Bobby, can you two wash dishes while I finish up dinner, please?" The boys gave each other an amused smile.

"I do not think so, Annabeth." Bobby said and leaned against the doorframe.

Annabeth shot her glance in their direction. Usually they were so obedient.

"But why not? We are brothers and sister. We need to help each other." She tried to reason with them.

"You are not really related to us. Your father and our mother got married. That is all." Matthew responded.

"But now that my father has passed, we need to work together." Annabeth leaned and took a casserole out of a hot oven. The boys stared at Annabeth's bent over form.

"Well, our mother is in charge now which means we get to tell you what to do." Bobby smiled.

"That is not true." Annabeth said gently and carefully portioned out the casserole. Matthew and Bobby walked closer to her until they were only a few inches away. Annabeth gasped when she noticed how close they got. The boys were only fifteen but they towered over Annabeth by at least half a head.

"It is. Just watch." They said at the same time. As much as Annabeth tried to think of these boys as her brothers, she couldn't bring herself to. They always gave her strange looks and she got goose bumps on her arms when they talked in unison.

"Mother!" Bobby called out. "Annabeth is complaining about cooking dinner!"

Loud footsteps descended the staircase and Annabeth was met with the deadly glare of her stepmother.

"Boys, go upstairs, I need to talk to Annabeth."

"Yes, Mother." They said and ran up the stairs. Stepmother looked at Annabeth in the eye and gave her a condescending grin.

"Annabeth, darling, what is the matter? Why are you complaining about making dinner for the family?"

"They are lying, stepmother!" Annabeth said.

"Why would they lie?"

"Um." Annabeth didn't know what to say. Why exactly did the boys lie to their mother about Annabeth?

"Annabeth, you are the eldest child of the family." Stepmother poked a fork into the casserole and tasted it. She looked satisfied enough because she took another forkful into her mouth. "Do you not want to take care of your little brothers?"

"But they said they do not see me as a big sister."

"Regardless, it is your responsibility to look after them."

"They are old enough to look after themselves." Annabeth said a little loudly.

"Do not raise your voice at me, child!" Stepmother hit Annabeth across the face with such force that Annabeth lost her balance and fell. She clutched her hand to her hot and aching cheek. "Get dinner into the dining room quickly and then go clean out your room. You are moving into the maids' room on the second floor." Annabeth's breathing became heavy and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Do you understand, Annabeth?" Annabeth tried to answer but her breathing was becoming so panicked that she couldn't. Stepmother kicked her in the side. "I said: do you understand?"

Annabeth weakly nodded.

"Good, now get up." Stepmother kicked the girl once more and left the kitchen.

Annabeth had to use the counter to help her stand.

"Boys, come down!" Annabeth could hear her stepmother from the other room.

They boys quickly came down the stairs to listen to what their mother had to say.

"Boys, Annabeth seems to have a rebellious streak in her." Stepmother was purposefully talking loudly for Annabeth to overhear. "And because of that, we must discipline her as often as it takes."

Annabeth brought three plates of food into the dining room where her stepmother and Matthew and Bobby were already seated. The boys had scheming smirks on their faces when they saw Annabeth.

* * *

It's been three years. Annabeth had endured three years of her own personal hell. Stepmother forced Annabeth to take over all the housekeeping and cooking, leaving her exhausted at the end of the day.

At first Annabeth protested the unfair situation. But that only brought on the first of many times her stepbrothers assaulted her. And so she now willingly performed all the tasks her stepmother had asked of her. She never knew people could be so cruel. Matthew and Bobby took particular interest and joy in beating Annabeth. They would take any opportunity to bruise her body. Whenever Annabeth cried out in pain, the force of their punches and kicks would increase. So she learned to be quiet while they administrated their brutality. Many times, one of them would hold her still while the other punched her. Annabeth often tried to look away, but the twin who was restraining her always knew to grab a fistful of her hair and made her face her tormentor. Both boys always smiled and laughed.

Annabeth crawled into her bed in the old room on the second floor. She was forced to move from her comfortable room in the tower to the servants' quarters. But she was the only servant in the household now. The blond girl lightly touched her split lip and licked the blood away. Matthew and Bobby thought she looked at them the wrong way and decided to give her an earlier beating than usual.

Over time, Annabeth developed the fear of being touched. When she went out to the marketplace, she avoided other people's hands as much as possible. A merchant would hand her back her change and she would insist that he place it on the counter. Stepmother would sometimes bring strange men into the estate and they would offer Annabeth a hand to shake. She always came up with an excuse to leave. Matthew and Bobby also brought in an impressive number of beautiful women who would spend the night. Many of them were mean-spirited but the few who were kind and courteous offered Annabeth a hand to shake as well. But Annabeth refused and would cringe if someone ever so much as waved his or her hand hello or goodbye to her.

Annabeth hugged herself while she lay on the bed and blinked away tears. She always tried to remind herself that she was not allowed to cry. Crying just made the beatings even harder. Matthew and Bobby liked it when she cried but were impatient. If Annabeth was able to stop herself from crying within ten minutes of their abuse, they would get bored and leave her alone for the time being. But she couldn't help the tears forming today. The twins beat her to the ground and stomped on her stomach. They hardly ever did that, but when they did, it was the worst.

A loud knock on her door jolted Annabeth out of her bed and made her wipe away any tears.

"Annabeth! Start dinner!" Her stepmother yelled.

Annabeth dusted off her apron and headed to the kitchen. While she was chopping vegetables, Matthew and Bobby entered the room.

"Hey, Annabeth." Matthew said. Annabeth just continued her work. Talking to the boys only encouraged them, she learned.

"Annabeth, my brother is talking to you." Bobby said, walking up behind Annabeth and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Aren't you going to talk to him?" He slid his hands down Annabeth's arms sensually. Bobby lowered his mouth to his stepsister's ear. "Well?" He asked then proceeded to nibble on her ear. Annabeth promptly stopped chopping vegetables. She could feel her whole body shaking and her breathing became heavy. Bobby moved his head to kiss Annabeth's cheek then neck.

Annabeth had always suspected that the boys wanted to do something like this to her. She just hoped that they would never try to. But now that it was happening, she didn't know what to do to stop it.

While Bobby focused on kissing her neck, Matthew stood next to her and started licking up her neck and face. Bobby grabbed her bottom and Annabeth jumped a little, causing the boys to laugh and Matthew to grasp one of her breasts.

"Let's go to my room." Matthew said, messaging her. Annabeth couldn't control her breathing. Bobby grabbed her forearm and tried to drag her towards the door of the kitchen.

Annabeth's mind was blank. She didn't know what to do at all but she knew exactly why they wanted to go to a bedroom and it made Annabeth feel ill.

"You have no idea how long we have been talking about how much we wanted to do this." They said in unison, making Annabeth's skin crawl. Have they been planning for this to happen? Why? They had many beautiful women to warm their beds already. Why did they want plain and simple Annabeth?

These questions raced through her mind but she didn't bother trying to figure out the answer. All she knew was that she couldn't let this happen. Annabeth looked at her hand and realized that she was still grasping the knife she was cutting vegetables with. The boys shoved her out the kitchen door in front of them. Annabeth had no time to think about the consequences. As soon as the boys entered the hallway and pushed her forward towards the direction of the staircase, she turned around and pointed the knife at them.

The boys gasped and took defensive stances. Annabeth felt her body shaking violently. She tried to steady the knife in front of her but it wasn't working. Matthew and Bobby smiled, seeing that she was in a state of panic. Bobby reached out to try to grab the knife but Annabeth anticipated that and she sharply slashed the blade into his hand. Bobby cried out, clutching his hand. Matthew lunged towards her and she turned the knife in his direction making the blade stab into his abdomen. Matthew fell down with blood staining his white button down shirt. Annabeth turned to run but Matthew grabbed her ankle and she fell. She looked behind her and saw Bobby reaching towards her. Annabeth's survival instincts kicked in and she scrambled out of Matthew's grasp and to her feet. Bobby grabbed a handful of the end of her long wavy hair and pulled hard. Annabeth winced but was used to the pain from the many years he had used this technique on her. She slashed the knife through her blond hair, cutting her long hair to medium length and severing Bobby's hold on her. Annabeth was about to stab the knife into Bobby's arm when he grabbed her hand and twisted it so she was forced to let go of the knife.

_It can't be over!_ Annabeth thought as her only weapon clanked on the floor. She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't allow herself to be in their clutches any longer. If they captured her, they would beat her close to death and then stop and keep her alive just to be able to beat her again. Tears spilled out of Annabeth's eyes as she bit Bobby's hand with all of her might. He recoiled and let go, allowing Annabeth to push him backwards in his shock. Grabbing the knife from the floor, she ran up one flight of stairs and entered her room, locking the heavy wooden door behind her. She could hear Matthew and Bobby's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Where did that bitch go?" Matthew yelled.

Annabeth's heart beat faster than she could think. She tried to take a few deep breaths to force herself to calm down but it wasn't working. The scared girl knew she should have run straight out the front door but she couldn't bring herself to leave her most precious possession. She was crying as she dug through the top drawer of her dresser and retrieved a small box. Inside reveal a leather necklace with beads on it and also had her parent's wedding rings on it. Annabeth put it on and held the knife tighter when a force slammed into the door. A few more hits like that and the door would go down for sure.

Annabeth looked around for a way to escape. Had she just trapped herself? No, no! She couldn't let them catch her! She had to survive! She had to escape. Bobby and Matthew slammed their weight into the door again as Annabeth's eyes scanned her room. She couldn't possibly hide under the bed or in the closet. She was as good as dead if she even considered that as a possibility.

Then she spotted her escape route: the window. She ran to it and opened to it when there was another slam at the door. Annabeth looked out the window at the ground. Even though she was only on the second floor, it was probably a fifteen feet drop at the least. She gulped. She had to take the chance. Another slam was at the door and Annabeth threw the knife out the window towards the left side to make sure that she didn't land on it.

"We are going to fuck you up, Annabeth!" She heard the boys say outside the door and slammed into it again.

Tears streamed down Annabeth's face as she climbed onto the window sill and looked down. This was her only chance. She had to take it. She jumped and right before she hit the ground, she rotated her body to roll so the impact of the fall would be redirected and lessened as she rolled just like she had seen the acrobats in the circus do when she was a child. Luckily her plan worked and Annabeth escaped the fall with only a few scratches and dirt all over her body. She left the knife in the bushes as she didn't see where it landed and couldn't waste time looking for it. Besides, the blood on it would just leave a trail.

Annabeth ran as fast as her feet would take her. Although her vision was blurred with tears, it didn't matter because she just ran. She didn't look back once for fear that her tormentors were right on her tail.

She sprinted as far away as possible from her father's estate, now owned by her stepmother and she was quickly tiring out but she knew she couldn't stop. By now, the boys had broken down the door and discovered that she was gone so they were probably on horseback looking for her. But Annabeth was getting so tired and she didn't know how long she would be able to run. Her legs slowed down and she found herself near train tracks. She heard the wail of a train approaching. The steam engine zoomed in front of Annabeth at a reasonable speed and had boxcars with many of the doors still open. Annabeth had no time to think as she jumped into the opening of one of the boxcars and rolled into a low pile of crates.

Her chest heaved as she lay on her back with the train carrying her away from her old home. It hurt to have to leave the place she called home for so many years. But it wasn't home anymore, not since her father died three years ago.

Annabeth's eyes felt heavy. She was exhausted so she let sleep take her.

* * *

Annabeth woke to the screeching sounds of the train's brakes. She bolted up feeling well rested. Funny how the first good night's sleep she had in three years was on the floor of a boxcar on a moving train. Annabeth didn't have time to dwell on it though because she needed to get off the train before someone noticed her and demanded payment for the ride. She used the crates next to her as leverage to help her stand up and gasped when she saw what was written on the side of the wooden crate in spray painted, stenciled box lettering.

"Firearms." She whispered but she quickly disregarded it as she walked off the boxcar. Her legs were still a little sore and wobbly from her time spent running for her life. She scanned her surroundings. The sign on the train station told her she was in New York. That was a long way from her stepmother and stepbrothers in Virginia. Annabeth sighed. For the first time in a while, she felt safe.

Annabeth walked around the city. People were rushing every which way. The first thing she needed to do was find a job and a place to stay. But she didn't have any money for a place to stay. There were people sleeping on street benches or in the corners of alleys. Maybe she could follow their example.

After a while, Annabeth walked into a diner. It was small and not very crowded. The green walls were lined with booths and a few rectangular tables were spread out in the middle of the room. There were potted plants resting near the door, the counter where the cash register was, next to the tables and booths, everywhere. It looked like a place Annabeth could work at. Cooking and cleaning for her stepfamily had given her plenty of experience to work in a place like this.

She approached the counter where a girl in a green dress about Annabeth's age was behind a cash register stood. Her nametag read "Juniper."

"May I help you?" Juniper asked with a smile. Annabeth nervously returned her gesture.

"I-I'm looking for a job." Annabeth told her in a voice nearly above a whisper.

The radiance of Juniper's smile faded until she held a smile of pity. "Oh, well, then I'm afraid you will have to look somewhere else. We aren't hiring at the moment, deary."

Annabeth's heart got heavy. "Please, you have to let me work here." Juniper raised one of her eyebrows and Annabeth realized it was because she was sounding desperate. "Please, if I could just demonstrate my ability, I'm sure you will hire me."

Juniper considered it for a minute. "One second, okay? I have to go get my fiancé. We own this place together." Juniper walked into the back of the kitchen and retrieved a lanky guy with brown curly hair and a goatee. "This is Grover."

"Hi." Grover said. "So, you're interested in working here?"

"I am, sir."

"Sir?" Grover blushed and rubbed his goatee as he laughed. No one had ever called him "sir" before. He liked the sound of it. But Juniper elbowed him to knock him out of his dream-like state. "Then let's see what you can do."

After Annabeth washed her hands and attempted to make her face and hands presentable, she bused the tables faster than Grover could follow. He smiled. A pretty girl like Annabeth would be sure to bring in more customers. But Grover needed someone multitalented. He asked her to cook a few dishes and was pleasantly surprised to find that the dishes Annabeth cooked tasted better than anything he could whip up.

"You're hired." Grover and Juniper agreed.

Annabeth smiled brightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! When can I start?"

"Well, today would be great, but go home first and get cleaned up. No offense," Grover said looking her over, "but you look a mess." He hoped she wouldn't be offended since he had seen her try to wash the grime off her face and comb her hair with her fingers.

Annabeth grew worried. She didn't have a home to go back to and clean herself up. What if that meant she couldn't work here?

"What's wrong?" Juniper asked.

"Well, I do not really have a home. I arrived here moments ago on the train." Annabeth bit her lip. She was too embarrassed to explain anything any further.

"So you don't have a place to stay?" Juniper looked as worried as Annabeth. Her raggedy new employee merely shook her head. Juniper and Grover exchanged glances and came to a silent agreement. "Well, we live on the floor above the restaurant and we have an extra room. You can stay with us and work in the restaurant as paying rent."

"That sounds amazing."

"Then it's a deal!" Grover held out his hand for Annabeth to shake but she just stared at it. After about thirty seconds of Grover holding out his hand waiting for Annabeth to shake it, he got flustered and retracted his hand, stuffing it in his pockets.

"Well then, come with me." Juniper said, leading Annabeth up the stairs in the back. "I'll show you around and you can get cleaned up."

"Thank you again. I cannot thank you enough." Annabeth was close to tears. She was so relieved.

"You're welcome. Just work hard."

* * *

Annabeth had been working at Grover and Juniper's diner for almost a month and she couldn't be happier.

Grover and Juniper also couldn't be happier. It appeared that the risk they took by hiring her was paying off. Ever since they hired her, they have experienced an exponential increase in business due to Annabeth's sensational cooking skills. And whenever Annabeth wasn't cooking, she was busing and cleaning tables. Grover notices a spike of younger guys coming to the diner now. He hoped that it was because the place was decent with good food, but suspected it solely had to do with Annabeth. The young men would often ask to personally talk to the cook to make sure that she knew what not to put into their food. When Annabeth was cleaning tables, they made small talk with her and after finishing their meal, were reluctant to go. But they usually returned the next day. Grover and Juniper noticed that Annabeth was restrained when talking to customers, men and women alike. She'd plaster a strained smile on her face and the only reason Grover and Juniper knew the smile was unnatural was because they witnessed Annabeth's true smile. But they concluded that even Annabeth's artificial smile was enough to make customers return for more business.

Grover and Juniper had once inquired for Annabeth's life story. She had been staying with them for already a month and yet they knew next to nothing about her background. They often wondered why Annabeth was careful to maintain at least a two-foot distance from people. They were curious as to why Annabeth never shook hands with the many men who offered her their hand and instead she pretended to hear Grover or Juniper calling for her even when they were right in the room talking to another customer.

But Annabeth had nothing to say. Her eyes started to water but she fought them off before smiling at Grover and Juniper in that same smile she gave customers. Grover and Juniper never again thought of asking Annabeth about her life before she met them.

One day a man who looked to have the body of a sailor walked into the diner.

"Sit wherever you like, sir." Juniper told him.

"Thank you. I have been hearing magnificent reviews from some of my colleagues about your establishment." He said to Juniper as she handed him a menu. "Did you just open?"

"No, sir. We've been open for almost two years now."

"Really. Hm, I've only recently heard about this place."

"Well, I think I have my newest employee to thank for that. She has been bringing in business with her amazing cooking and the young men swoon over her."

"I think I will be the one to decide whether her cooking is amazing or not."

"Of course, sir." The man gave Juniper his order and within a few minutes it was ready and delivered to him. He took one bite that immediately sent his taste buds on a journey and he finished his meal in a matter of minutes.

"Miss, may I see this cook of yours?"

Juniper sent Annabeth out of the kitchen to talk to the man. Annabeth was nervous. Did the man not like her cooking and had requested to speak with her to yell at her?

"Hello." He said kindly.

"Hello, sir." Annabeth politely curtsied which Poseidon noticed was a perfectly proper curtsy that he thought was completely foreign to low-class working girls.

"I wanted to tell you that this was the best meal I've had in years."

Annabeth smiled brightly and beautifully. "Thank you, sir. I've had a lot of practice with the stove."

"Well, I've an offer for you." He said. Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "My name is Poseidon Jackson. Perhaps you've heard of me." Annabeth slowly shook her head so Poseidon elaborated. "I own a major shipping company and build the finest boats out there." Annabeth nodded her head as he spoke. "And I could use someone with your talents in my home. Would you be willing to leave this place and come work for me? I'd pay you generously and you may live in the servants quarters of my estate."

Annabeth hesitated. It sounded like a good opportunity, but she had made friends with Juniper and Grover and she was happy here.

"Annabeth, you should accept." Grover said behind her. She turned to see Grover and Juniper behind the cash register.

"But what about you two?"

"Annabeth, you have given me a lot of business already and have taught me how to cook better. I think I can manage the kitchen a lot better now thanks to you. But I'm sure the young men might be disappointed." Annabeth blushed. "But don't let that stop you. There is really nothing more we can offer you here Annabeth."

Grover was right. If she accepted the job Poseidon was offering, she would have a place to stay and be paid, unlike her current situation where she worked as a way to pay rent. She took one more look at Grover and Juniper. They gave her approving and encouraging smiles.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson. I accept."

"Wonderful! I have an estate on the outskirts of town but still have a few errands to run in the city." Poseidon sat up and paid Juniper for his meal. "I will be back to pick you up by sundown. Please be ready by then miss…"

"Annabeth, sir."

"Miss Annabeth. Please be ready by sundown."

"I will, sir."

And Poseidon walked out of the door.

"Oh, how exciting Annabeth!" Juniper said. "I didn't know it was him when he walked in, but I recognize his name! He is one of the richest people in the country!"

"Really?"

"Yes and you get to live in his mansion! How wonderful. But be careful." Juniper warned. "He could just be a dirty old man."

"I did not sense it." Grover said. "He seems like an honest employer."

"He does. But I will visit as often as I can." Annabeth said fondly and then went upstairs to pack her few belongings. A new life was awaiting her at sundown.

* * *

**How was it? I hope it wasn't too disturbing or horrible, especially regarding the situation with Annabeth's stepbrothers. Abuse is a serious thing and I was hesitant to write about it. I also hope I didn't weird anyone out by making Bobby and Matthew have a thing for Annabeth. They are not truly related in this story, unlike in the books. But I was so close to using Travis and Connor Stoll as her stepbrothers but I couldn't bring myself to make them bad guys. This story starts off kind of slow so you won't be getting much info about the arms race until a few more chapters in if this continues.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Is it total crap? Is it magic? Should I continue? Is T an appropriate rating or should I change it to M? I didn't think it was that bad.**

**Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.**

**Please review!**

**Next chapter marks Percy's debut!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**Thank you for 20 reviews for Chapter 1! I was so amazed that so many people enjoyed it!**

**In terms of time period, think 1910s. Please forgive any historical inaccuracies. And if you're unclear on what an arms race is, it's basically a race between two or more parties to develop/obtain the best weaponry. You'll find out more about it as the story progresses.**

**And to those of you who might have been confused at Matthew and Bobby's age, I mentioned in Chapter 1 that they are two years younger than Annabeth, making them 18.**

* * *

**A Twisted Tale of Cinderella**

**Chapter 2**

At sundown, Annabeth waved goodbye to Grover and Juniper as the motor vehicle cab Poseidon hailed drove away. Poseidon sat in the front with the driver, letting Annabeth have her space. She appreciated his thoughtfulness. After all, she could hardly imagine the discomfort that would radiate off the two if they were seated together. They had just met and Annabeth had accepted a job from him. She wasn't even sure what kind of job Poseidon was offering. But she had to take it. As much as she loved working at Grover and Juniper's restaurant, Annabeth knew it was a dead end job. Poseidon would be able to pay her regularly and generously while providing her housing.

Annabeth remembered her father constantly telling her as a child to be wise especially with strangers. It was reckless to get into a car with a stranger. But Annabeth could sense that Poseidon had a calming and honest aura about him. He was trustworthy, unlike other men Annabeth knew. A shiver went up her spine when she remembered being at the mercy of her teenage stepbrothers, Bobby and Matthew.

The cab drove for about half an hour before coasting to a stop in front of an isolated mansion estate. Annabeth felt intimidated at the sheer size of it. There was no way she would fit in at a place like this. But she quickly remembered that she didn't need to belong here. She was going to be a staff member, she assumed. There was no need to try to fit in.

"Welcome to your new home!" Poseidon said, opening the cab door for Annabeth to step out. She grabbed her only bag that contained only two pairs of clothes, all hand-me-downs Juniper was generous enough to give her.

Annabeth put her fingers on her necklace. _Don't worry, Father. I'll be safe here._

Poseidon led Annabeth inside his grand home. It was truly a beautiful home and Annabeth has read enough books about architecture growing up to know that it was well built and structurally sound. But she noticed that there were no servants walking around like she had expected.

"Um, sir, where is everyone?" She asked, following Poseidon up the smaller of two large staircases. This must have been the passageway to the servants' quarters.

"Oh, I don't employ many servants. I like having a small staff so I can get to know everybody. Many of them are on vacation now and won't be back for a few weeks."

"I see."

"And you are here, my dear, because I need you to look after my son." Poseidon stopped in front of a large arched wooden door. The shape reminded Annabeth of her room in the servants' quarters back in Virginia. But this door had intricate Baroque designs painted around the archway, making it look like the entrance to a princess's bedroom instead of a servant girl's.

"So my primary job is babysitting your son?" Annabeth asked as Poseidon opened the arched door and she entered the room. It was at least two times as large as her room back in Virginia with her evil stepfamily and was much brighter, illuminated by two round windows with blue lace curtains. The only furniture in the room was a queen-sized bed with a headboard that resembled the arched doorway, and matching nightstand and dresser with a mirror. Although the room was simple, Annabeth thought it was superior to even her old bedroom before she was forced to move into a servant's room.

"I suppose you can say that. You'll be his personal caretaker, cooking his meals, bringing them to him, taking orders from him, running errands, and doing housework around the house as well." Poseidon explained from the doorway.

"All right." Annabeth said, placing her bag on the dresser and feeling the lace curtains. "Your home is beautiful."

"Thank you. But remember, as long as you work for me and my son, this is your home as well." Poseidon grabbed a checkbook out of the inside pocked of his coat, scribbled in it and ripped out a check. "This should cover the first month of pay."

Annabeth thought her eyes would pop out of her head at the amount. She couldn't believe that this man was giving her a check worth so much and she hadn't even started yet.

"I can't accept this, sir. I haven't even started the job."

"Trust me, Miss Annabeth. When you get started, knowing how much you are being paid will help you endure."

Annabeth was a confused at his reasoning but nodded. Then a young man looking to be in his late twenties to early thirties with a black low ponytail joined Poseidon in the doorway.

"Who is this, Father?" He asked.

"This is Annabeth, Triton. I hired her as caretaker for your younger brother. Annabeth, this is my eldest son, Triton."

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise." Triton nodded.

"Now, Annabeth. Your uniform is in the dresser. Please put it on and report to the bottom of the stairs. Triton will show you around." Poseidon said, already beginning to walk away before Annabeth responded. Triton followed after his father and closed the door.

Annabeth opened the first drawer where she quickly found her uniform. She slipped on a light brown skirt that went to her knees and put on a dark brown top with blue sleeves that reached her forearms. Annabeth examined herself in the mirror as she tied her waist apron around her. Her hair had grown a little but was still choppy in the back from when she cut it with a knife in an attempt to get away from her stepbrothers. With one hand, Annabeth combed through her wavy hair and with the other she fished out a blue ribbon from her bag and secured her hair in a low ponytail. She put on her black flats that she usually wore and walked out of her new room, descending the stairs and meeting the awaiting Triton.

"Hello." Annabeth said in a timid voice.

Triton didn't reply and instead led her around the house. Annabeth didn't mind that he didn't talk. She found it hard to make conversation herself. But she needed to gather needed information on her new occupation.

"So what's your younger brother like? Anything I should expect, Mr. Triton?"

"Just be prepared to deal with a lot of tomfoolery. My younger brother has no concern for consequences. If he drives you away in less than a day, I won't be surprised." His voice was laced with disdain as he talked of his brother.

Annabeth was astonished that Triton talked about his brother in such a manner. Siblings should love and care for one another. But Bobby and Matthew's faces flashed in her mind and she wrapped her arms around herself to mask a shudder. Maybe Triton's feelings towards his brother weren't so strange to Annabeth after all.

Triton's tour came to an end in the sizeable and bright kitchen when a little boy ran in. A large smile spread across Annabeth's face as the boy grabbed an apple off the kitchen table's fruit bowl. She hasn't had much interaction with children, but the brief moments she got to spend with any child brought her joy. They were so full of life and so innocent, it made her remember the beauty in life. Annabeth remembered the times when her stepmother would bring older men to the house and fool around with them. Sometimes those men would bring their little children with them and Annabeth was tasked to watch them. She couldn't understand some people's contempt for children because she loved them so.

The little boy took a huge bite of his apple and turned to face Annabeth and Triton. He chewed quickly and swallowed in an audible gulp.

"Hello, there." Annabeth said. The boy smiled at her, sensing she was friendly.

"You're pretty." He mumbled.

Annabeth smiled down at him. "Thank you. My name is Annabeth. What's yours?"

"I'm Tyson! I'm four years old!" He held his hand out for Annabeth to shake. Unlike most times when Annabeth would refuse to let another person touch her, she willingly took Tyson's small hand in her own.

Annabeth feared other people's hands. But that fear was focused on people she perceived had the capacity to overpower her. Children such as Tyson were not something to fear.

"My pleasure." Annabeth said.

"This is my youngest brother, Annabeth." Triton said when Annabeth released Tyson's hand.

Annabeth's heart leaped. "Oh, well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you then, Tyson. I will be your caretaker from now on." She curtseyed.

"Actually, Tyson is not who you will be taking care of." Triton interrupted.

"Oh?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought you said I would be the caretaker of your younger brother."

"Yes, there are three of us with Tyson being the youngest." Tyson ran to Triton and lifted his arms to his big brother. Triton picked him up. "The _child_–" Triton gritted his teeth as he said the word, "is about your age."

She gasped in realization. Annabeth would be the caretaker of a 20-year-old man. Why, what kind of a full-grown man needed a caretaker? Annabeth was afraid to ask.

"He's terribly troublesome. You'll have your hands full. Many of the other servants quit because of his antics."

Annabeth put a hand over her mouth in surprise. "But your father said everyone is on vacation."

Triton laughed, making Tyson laugh too. "And you believed him? Honestly…" Triton rocked Tyson back and forth as the boy continued to munch on his apple. "I give you a week tops."

Annabeth gulped. "I… I can handle a challenge." She slowly said. It was true. She survived three years as the slave to her stepfamily. "But is there anything special I need to know about him? Why is he in need of a caretaker?"

Triton put Tyson down. "There is absolutely nothing special about _him_." He snapped. "The only reason you will be taking care of him is because my father plays favorites and thinks my younger brother deserves to have someone constantly cleaning up after him." Triton scoffed, obviously jealous. "Come, Tyson. It's bedtime for you, little one."

"I can put him down for bed if you wish, sir."

"No, it's all right. Besides, it's about time you started on dinner for your boss." He walked out of the kitchen with Tyson who waved goodbye.

Sighing, Annabeth took a peak into the icebox to see what kinds of ingredients were available to her. She saw several vegetables and a medium cut of beef and decided on making a stew. After she washed her hands, she expertly cut all the ingredients and deposited them into a large pot. Turning the heat up, Annabeth took out a bowl from the cupboard and prepared a tray.

While she was engrossed in her work, she didn't notice a fairly tall black-haired man entering the kitchen. He didn't seem to notice her either as he made his way to the fruit bowl. When he was about to grab an apple, he smelled the stew on the stove and finally noticed Annabeth going through the utensil drawer on the other side of the room. The corners of his mouth curved up in a smile. He liked what he saw.

"Who are you?" He asked. Annabeth jumped and dropped the fork and spoon she was holding to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Annabeth said and bent down to pick them up. The man raised an eyebrow at her. She released the utensils into the sink. "My name is Annabeth. I'm the caretaker to the middle son of Poseidon."

The man nodded his head as Annabeth spoke. "Good luck." He gave her a mischievous smile. "He is very much an ass."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Annabeth stirred the stew and turned down the heat.

Annabeth could feel his eyes bore into her. She bit her lip. Her eyes kept darting to the side to look at the man but she always quickly averted her sight because he was staring back at her. She began to get nervous and started speaking.

"I'm not sure what kind of a man is in need of a personal caretaker, but he certainly sounds like a nightmare. Mr. Triton doesn't think I will last the week. I'm sure he can't be that horrid, but I'm preparing for the worst." The new caretaker scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was a womanizing ruffian." Annabeth knew that was a rude and unprofessional assumption to make. But she couldn't stop herself from speaking. The weight of the man's stare made it impossible for her to think straight.

Annabeth turned towards him and her cheeks flushed when she finally got a direct view of him. She thought he was magnificently handsome and she saw that he had sea green eyes; a color she didn't even know existed in human beings. It was the first time she had ever seen it on someone anyway. His eyes were a more brilliant version of Poseidon's eyes.

_Poseidon's eyes_… Annabeth gasped.

"Oh, my." She said and the man smirked. How could she be so careless and not figure out who this man was? "You wouldn't happen to be…" She trailed off, too embarrassed to finish her question. The man's smirk grew but he didn't answer Annabeth's incomplete question even though she had a feeling he knew exactly what she was about to say. He walked out of the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. "What have I done?" Annabeth said to herself and prepared the rest of the meal.

After a while, Poseidon walked in. "Annabeth, come, I will show you where you will report to every day." Annabeth nodded and followed Poseidon out of the kitchen and up the larger staircase, carrying a tray of food.

Poseidon led her to a room that was almost four times as big as her new room with large windows framed by blue curtains. It was luxurious and unlike anything Annabeth had ever seen, even within her old lifestyle before her father passed away. Poseidon motioned for her to set the tray down on a square table next to one of the windows.

"My son should be here any minute. Oh, here he is!" The man that Annabeth encountered in the kitchen walked into the room. He smiled when he saw Annabeth but she avoided his gaze. "Percy, my boy, this lovely lady is Annabeth. She will be your caretaker from now on. Annabeth, meet my son and your new boss, Percy."

"Nice to meet you, Annabeth." Percy held out his hand towards her. His smile seemed friendly enough, but Annabeth made no effort to shake his hand. In fact, she took a step back. Percy, realizing that she didn't want to touch him, retracted his hand and glared at her. "Too good for me, are you?" He said under his breath. Annabeth bit her lip. She didn't mean to offend him.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get better acquainted." Poseidon said, having missed Percy's last comment and left, closing the door behind him.

Percy sat down at the table and sniffed the stew.

"I, um, I hope you like it, sir." Annabeth said in a voice barely above a whisper. She wanted to apologize to him about her unacceptable behavior in the kitchen, but she was afraid she would only angry him. The foul mood he was now emitting frightened her.

Percy didn't respond and only narrowed his eyes. He brought a spoonful to his lips as Annabeth gulped. If he didn't like it, what would she do? Percy didn't look like a fickle man, but Annabeth didn't want to judge him too quickly. She knows that she expressed exactly what she thought of him right to his face and she felt horrible for it. But maybe he wasn't as Triton described. Lost in her thoughts, Annabeth didn't notice Percy was enthusiastically eating. She gave a sigh of relief, which directed Percy's attention towards her.

"It's disgusting," Percy said as he put the last spoonful to his mouth. "If this is the best you can do, I'm going to have to agree with Triton. You won't last a week here."

Annabeth's breath was caught in her throat. She didn't understand. If he thought her stew was disgusting, why did he finish it so quickly? She was about to voice her question but she thought twice. Percy noticed.

"Good. You know not to talk unless I want you to. Maybe you do have promise after all." Annabeth nodded at his words sadly, making Percy grin. "Now get this cleaned up. And report to my room tomorrow morning for orders. And bring breakfast." He stood up and walked to look out his window and Annabeth picked up the tray. She caught a glimpse of Percy right when she exited his room. He was smirking at her again. And it was a smirk that vaguely reminded her of her stepbrothers.

* * *

The next day, Annabeth found out that Triton was right. It seemed as if Percy Jackson was the spawn of the devil himself.

"Annabeth, make my bed!" Annabeth rushed upstairs with Percy's breakfast to see him fresh out of bed in his pajamas.

"Yes, sir." She sat down his breakfast tray.

"Shut up and get to it, woman!" He barked and started eating. Annabeth began making his bed neat and tidy. She was an expert at housework, making it seem like she was born to perform them. But it wasn't because she was a woman. It was because she had been forced to complete such tasks for so many years.

Percy immediately saw how quickly she finished making the bed and frowned. "While you're at it, clean the rest of the room, too." He said and gulped down a glass of orange juice.

Annabeth didn't answer him this time. She didn't want him to yell at her again. Instead, she grabbed the feather duster that she tucked into her apron earlier and began dusting.

Percy watched with amusement painted on his face. Unbeknownst to her, Percy found her fascinating. The way she moved, the way she talked, the way she looked, and it all intrigued him. When he saw her for the first time yesterday in the kitchen, he was ecstatic to see such a beautiful specimen such as Annabeth in his own home. Then she talked about how terrible it might be being his personal maid. But Percy didn't mind. She was gorgeous and that's all he cared about. And besides, he was egging her on to begin with. Her real offense was refusing to shake his hand. To him, it was the equivalent of spitting in his face.

Annabeth brought this onto herself, Percy darkly told himself. By refusing his handshake, Annabeth chose to unleash his fury. No woman (no matter how attractive he found them) wounds his pride like she did. And now she had to pay. He could have given her an easy life, even enjoyable if she agreed to share a bed with him in the future. But no. This Annabeth girl would not receive any of his generosity.

"Annabeth, take these back to the kitchen now." He said, pushing the tray away from him. Annabeth promptly stopped dusting and picked up his tray. Right when she finished exiting the door and was almost at the first step of the staircase, Percy called out to her. "Annabeth! Come fluff my pillows!"

Annabeth hurried back into the room setting the tray on the table. Percy was back in bed, sitting upright with the covers up to his waist. His caretaker fluffed his pillows and watched as he lay down.

_Ridiculous!_ Annabeth thought and took the tray to the kitchen. She had only been gone a few minutes but when she returned to Percy's bedroom, he was out of bed again.

"Draw me a bath and make the bed again." He commanded and began taking off his shirt. Annabeth shielded her eyes from his undressing figure and rushed to the bathroom where she turned on the hot water. She turned around so quickly that she bumped into Percy who was standing right behind her. Luckily for Annabeth, he still had his pajama bottoms on.

She flinched away from him in surprise, trying to get away from the uncomfortable and awkward proximity. But when she stepped back, she was already so close to the tub that she fell in. Annabeth was submerged in water for only a split second but Percy grabbed her and pulled her up and out of the tub. Annabeth yanked her arms out of his hold and scurried towards the door.

"You okay?" He asked but he didn't look concerned at all. Percy smirked at her teasingly when she looked back at him.

Annabeth squeaked an "excuse me" and rushed out the door.

"This room better be spotless when I get out of the bathtub!" Percy shouted to Annabeth when she was descending the stairs.

Annabeth clutched a hand to her chest above her heart. Her breath was heavy. She hurried towards her bedroom and changed into a spare uniform. But she wondered why she was putting herself through this. The day barely started and Percy was already driving her mad. It was like he was going out of his way to make her job hard. Annabeth knew that this was nothing compared to the torture she endured with her stepfamily but she didn't understand why Percy was acting like this.

Maybe he wanted to get rid of her.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed as she towel dried her hair and opened the drawer where she hid her paycheck. The amount was so high. It would only take a few months working here with that demon Percy for Annabeth to save enough money to buy her father's company.

Walking up the stairs and seeing that the door to the bathroom was still closed, Annabeth started cleaning as quickly as possible. She couldn't let Percy drive her away. She needed to win back her father's company. That is her goal, her ambition, her dream. Over the years, she watched her father's company be run into the ground by the new owners her stepmother sold it to. Annabeth needed to rescue her father's legacy. And nothing was going to stop her from making her dream come true.

Percy Jackson wasn't going to intimidate her into leaving. There was nowhere else for her to go. She could always return to Grover and Juniper, but then there would be no hope of getting her father's publishing company back. Annabeth knew she needed this job even if she had to deal with Percy Jackson.

New hope ignited in Annabeth's heart. If she bought back her father's company, the last three years of dealing with her stepbrothers and her new job of bowing down to Percy's every whim will all be worth it. There was nothing that could deter her spirit.

Annabeth had just finished moping the floors when Percy walked out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist and his hair damp and swept to one side. Annabeth stood up from the floor, evading his vicious glare.

"I trust you've laid out my suit, servant?" He demanded, clutching his towel and walking towards Annabeth until he was directly in front of her, staring her down.

Annabeth looked up into his eyes and they hardened even more when she made eye contact with them. It was so easy to keep her spirits up when Percy wasn't scowling at her.

"Have you gone deaf?" He impatiently questioned.

"I've laid your suit out." Annabeth answered, tearing her gaze from his and gesturing towards the bed.

Percy grabbed his clothes and walked back into the bathroom. Just when he was about to close the door, he eyed Annabeth critically. "Do something about your hair. That blond is giving me a headache." And he slammed the door shut.

Annabeth ran her hand through her ponytail. Percy just told her to dye her hair. But she loved her hair color. It reminded her of her father's hair color. But Percy looked serious. Annabeth's eyes watered but she bit her lip to suppress tears. She would only have to live with a new hair color for a few months. Then when she finally saved up enough money, she would resign her post, move away and buy her father's company back.

Once she remembered her goals, the means to achieve them didn't seem so daunting. But it made her think. She would have to travel back to her hometown in Virginia to repurchase her father's company. And that ran the risk of coming into contact with her stepfamily. Matthew and Bobby's evil smiles appeared in her mind as a haunting image.

Annabeth's heart raced. The confidence and determination she held just a moment ago diminished again. Making her dream a reality was going to be harder than she thought.

_The first things I am going to buy are bodyguards._

* * *

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**So you probably thought Percy would be Prince Charming from the start, huh? Think again. He's pretty much another prideful, shallow Evil Stepmother at the moment. **

**I talked to some of my fanfic friends who are only lurkers and have come to the conclusion that many readers are only interested in Percabeth fluff and if there isn't any from the get go, they bolt (correct me if I'm wrong!). But I hope you will bear with me and continue to read this story because I have huge plans.**

**Please review and stay tuned for Chapter 3 where Annabeth meets some of Percy's "friends." :) Those of you who review will get a PM sneak peek at Chapter 3! (My apologies to Guest reviewers... please don't let that stop you from reviewing!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and enthusiasm from last chapter! I try to reply to all reviews through PM, but to those of you who don't allow PM or are guest reviewers, please know that I'm thankful for your reviews as well. :)**

**Please note that this story is rated T.**

* * *

**A Twisted Tale of Cinderella**

**Chapter 3**

Annabeth sighed as she set the plate, utensils and glass full of orange juice onto the brass tray. She has officially been in the Jackson household for a week. Today she would find out if Triton's prediction of her resignation in a week would come true. A part of her wanted it to be true. She wanted to leave. But she couldn't. First and foremost, she needed this job more than anything. Where else could she find such high wages? Of course, now Annabeth realized why Poseidon gave her a check ahead of time. He was bribing her. It was a dirty trick but an effective strategy and Annabeth could appreciate a good strategy.

She stifled a yawn and began ascending the stairs to Percy's room. He kept her up all of last night insisting that she mend all of his clothing, bed sheets and even curtains that were well past their prime. Her fingers tips were haphazardly bandaged because she nearly fell asleep so many times while sewing and only woke up because she pricked her finger. To make matters worse, after assigning Annabeth her task, Percy ordered her to bring him breakfast at an earlier hour.

She sighed as she lightly knocked on Percy's bedroom door.

"Come in." She heard Percy say from the other side of the door.

Annabeth carefully balanced the breakfast tray on one hand and opened the door. She kept her eyes to the floor because she learned that making eye contact with a cranky Percy was always a bad thing. The young woman turned to shut the door half way and resumed holding the tray with two hands. She turned around to walk forward and dared to glance up but as soon as she did, she dropped the breakfast tray. It banged to the floor, shattering the glass of the plate and cup.

"Oh, my." Annabeth whispered to herself and held a hand over her mouth in astonishment at the sight before her.

Percy was in bed with two women at his side. A redhead on his left and a brunette on his right, their bosom's barely covered by the blanket. They were both jolted awake to the noise of glass breaking and the brass tray crashing on the floor. Both women stared at Annabeth with their eyebrows knit. They cuddled closer to Percy, resting their heads on his shoulders and placing a hand on his bare chest. Percy put his arms around the women's shoulders. Clothing was lying all around the floor near the bed.

"Percy, who is she?" The redhead asked and nuzzled her face into Percy's chest.

"Don't mind her, Rachel." Percy smiled, establishing eye contact with Annabeth. "She's no one."

Annabeth had to bite her lip to keep herself from snapping at him. She was someone! She was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Frederick Chase and his deceased wife, Athena! Through Annabeth's veins ran aristocratic and highborn blood, probably even more so than Percy Jackson himself.

But in a way, Percy was right. In that very moment, Annabeth realized that she has been a "no one" for the past three years. It didn't matter that she grew up learning to be proper and polite and groomed to behave. Annabeth was now nothing more than a common housemaid. And to most everyone in the world of high-class, that is exactly what qualifies as a "no one."

"Are you sure?" The brunette asked Percy. She sat up and the blankets pooled on her lap when she started to seize up the maid. Annabeth looked out the window and fanned her face to rid herself of her embarrassed blush. Being a woman herself, Calypso's body was nothing Annabeth hadn't seen before. But that didn't mean Annabeth wanted to see it.

"Of course." Percy answered, his eyes still glued on Annabeth's form. Annabeth took a chance and looked up to meet his gaze. But it was clearly a mistake. Percy began kissing Calypso's neck. Annabeth lowered her head and began cleaning again. "Would I ever lie to you, Calypso?" Percy asked.

"No, you wouldn't, my love." Calypso smiled, exposing more of her neck to Percy.

"Percy! What about me?" Rachel whined. Percy responded by turning his attention to her while it was now Calypso's turn to kiss his neck.

Annabeth wanted to vomit as the smacking sound of kisses assaulted her ears but she busied herself with picking up the broken plates. The clatter of broken glass upset Percy and he broke away from Rachel and Calypso to glare at Annabeth.

"Dammit, woman!" Annabeth's eyes shot to Percy in shock. "What's wrong with you?" Percy threw the covers off of him and climbed out of bed and for a second, Annabeth panicked. But she gave a sigh of relief when she saw Percy still wearing his dress pants. Percy noticed her sigh immediately as he stepped in front of her. He towered over her even more so then since she was kneeling on the cold floor. "Clean this up! Clean this up now!" Percy shouted at her so loudly that Annabeth, Rachel, and Calypso flinched.

Taking a much-needed deep breath, Annabeth restrained herself from making a sarcastic remark like, "And what exactly does His Highness think I'm doing now?" She wanted to say something to irritate Percy. He noted the glare in her eyes and clenched his fists. When Annabeth noticed the shaking fists at Percy's sides, her confidence drained out of her and her eyes became wide.

"Y-yes, sir." She whimpered.

Her breathing quickened when Percy gradually raised his right hand. But she's been in this type of situation before. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind and she glanced behind her to see the bedroom door still open. Good, she didn't think she would be able to make the jump out a window as high as the one in Percy's room. Percy's hand raised higher and Annabeth clenched the largest shard of glass, ready to do what she deemed necessary. Her heartbeat sped up as she clenched the broken glass, foreseeing the strong fist on her face like she has felt many times before when she was living with her stepfamily.

But it never came. Percy ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Just hurry up."

Rachel and Calypso leisurely got out of bed and began putting their clothes on while Percy searched for his shirt. Annabeth let go of the glass and hid her hand. Blood was leaking out of the open wound Annabeth had unintentionally inflicted upon herself. But she didn't think much of it. To her, it was better for her to be in control of what happens to her body rather than let someone else have control. Still, she would have to dress it so it may heal.

Annabeth finished gathering the broken glass and what was supposed to be Percy's breakfast before she mopped up the orange juice with a spare rag she always had on hand. Right when she was about to leave the room to dispose of the garbage and bandage her hand, Percy called her.

"Stop right there, servant! I haven't given you your orders yet."

Annabeth's hand was growing numb and was almost entirely covered in blood but she couldn't disobey Percy so she stayed. Placing the breakfast tray on the table in Percy's room, she put her hands behind her back and tried to soak up blood with the rag she had just used to clean the floors. It was not a wise choice. But Annabeth didn't want Percy to see her hand. The smallest things could set Percy off, she learned.

"Help Rachel and Calypso into their corsets. I'll give you more orders when you return with my breakfast." With that, Percy crawled back into the covers of his bed and closed his eyes.

"So if you'd please help tighten my corset, that would be lovely." Rachel said, turning around to reveal the intricate ties of her rib-crushing garment.

Annabeth gulped as memories of wearing the despicable thing came to her mind. A particularly unpleasant memory stuck out to her when she tightened Rachel's strings as much as she could. Bobby and Matthew had told her to put one on because Annabeth would be attending the dinner party her stepmother was hosting. Naively believing their story to be truth, Annabeth put on the corset only for the twins barge into her room and forcibly tightened the corset until Annabeth couldn't breath. She still doesn't know how long she was unconscious.

Rachel grunted when Annabeth finally fastened the corset with a firm knot. Calypso was next and the task was harder to accomplish since Calypso's bust was so much bigger than Rachel's. But Rachel's bottom was certainly a site to behold for men. Annabeth now had an idea of why Percy fancied these two women.

"Thank you for that." Calypso begrudgingly said. Annabeth suspected that Calypso would have rather not said anything but like Annabeth, Calypso was raised a lady and was endowed with proper manners.

Rachel, however, did not follow up with her lessons. "About time." She said, looking at herself in the mirror. When she examined her back, Rachel almost had a heart attack. "Ugh! You kitchen wench! What have you done?" Her screeches were so loud they woke Percy.

"What's going on?" Percy growled, getting up from bed to join the ladies by the mirror.

Calypso huffed when she looked at her back in the mirror, too. "Your servant wiped her blood on us!" Rachel and Calypso turned around so Percy could see. The ties of their corsets were stained with blotches of still wet blood.

"Are you bleeding?" Percy turned to Annabeth.

"No." It was a stupid lie.

Percy glanced over at the brass platter where Annabeth had pilled up the mess of Percy's breakfast. The largest shard of glass had red liquid dripping down it.

"You liar. Show me." Percy stepped forward and reached for Annabeth's hand. Frightened, Annabeth backed up against the ceiling-to-floor windows and pressed herself hard against them. Percy was still advancing on her with his hand held out as if to grab her.

No weapon. No escape route. Annabeth shut her eyes tightly when Percy stood directly in front of her and clutched her wrists, eyeing the hand that was cut.

"Don't!" Annabeth snatched her hands away and attempted to swat Percy with her uncut hand but he grasped it with ease. The back of Annabeth's eyes started to sting with forming tears. Percy glowered and brought his face an inch away from hers and whispered so Rachel and Calypso couldn't hear.

"Raise your hand or your voice against me again and your ass will be fired." He freed her wrist and backed away from her.

Annabeth's breathing still hadn't evened out. She placed her suffering hand behind her back.

"I tried to wipe most of it off my hand with my cloth before I help– "

"I don't care." Percy's voice pierced the room. "Just get out of my room." Annabeth cautiously started to move towards the door, her eyes thoughtfully watching Percy. "Get out!" He yelled.

With a wince Annabeth grabbed the breakfast tray and rushed out of the room and down the stairs. One of her flats slipped off her foot and she stumbled and fell the last few steps, landing on the floor with a thud. She kept herself from crying out when she used her hands to break her fall. She tried to get up but found it challenging. All she wanted to do was lay on the cold marble floor and cry. A tear escaped her eye and she wiped it with her bleeding hand, smearing blood on her face.

In her distress, Annabeth had already forgotten about her damaged hand. She heard the voices of Percy, Calypso, and Rachel descending the stairs. Annabeth knew that she had already caused enough trouble so she cleaned up the broken dishes quickly and dashed towards the kitchen, depositing what was on the breakfast platter into the trashcan and then rushed to her room. Peaking out the corner of the hallway, she saw Percy and the women at the front door saying goodbye. Their arms were wrapped around Percy's waist and he was switching between kissing Rachel and Calypso on the lips.

Annabeth sneaked back to her room and washed and dressed her wound in her personal bathroom hastily but knowledgeably.

Thoughts about her new job moved through her mind. What sort of hell was her new job? It had only been a week but Percy Jackson was unbearable. A part of Annabeth thought that he would mellow out as he got used to her presence in his home but she was wrong about him. He treated her similarly to how he treated her on her first official day.

He could have at least informed her that he had guests over! Then that whole fiasco could have been avoided. But, no! He had to make things difficult.

After she finished bandaging her hand, Annabeth opened her drawer to once again gaze at the check Poseidon Jackson had written for her. Annabeth took a deep breath. She couldn't let Triton be right. She couldn't quit now. That's probably what Percy wanted and even though Annabeth was his caretaker, she did not want to give him exactly what he wanted. More importantly, the hope for a better future rested in this job. She had to persevere. Throughout the past few years, Annabeth's hope that someday things would be better was constantly tested but not shattered. Her dreams were still in her heart and she wasn't going to let anyone take them away from her.

She walked out of her room clenching and unclenching her fist to let feeling return to it only to see Percy waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs leading to the servant's quarters. Annabeth took a deep breath and walked down to meet him.

When Annabeth reached Percy he frowned but she couldn't see. She was doing her best to avoid his stare. They stood in silence for a long while and Annabeth couldn't stand it.

"Mr. Jackson, I–"

"Silence!"

Annabeth held her tongue.

"I can't believe I expected better of you." Percy glared down at her with his head shaking in disdain. "How dare you walk in on me when I was entertaining guests!" Annabeth observed that he conveniently didn't comment on the fact that he told her to enter in the first place. "As punishment, there is an extra work load for you to take on today."

Annabeth only nodded.

"There's a large carpet in the main hall. Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down. Wash them! And the tapestries and the draperies."

"But I washed those yesterday–"

"Wash them again!" Percy barked. "Clean the horse stables and dust every book in the library. Now if you're done screwing up, my breakfast better be in my room soon."

"Yes, Mr. Jackson."

"Good." Percy stared her down for a few seconds more before walking up the stairs to his room. When he was half way up the stairs, he looked back at Annabeth. "And make sure Mrs. O'Leary gets her bath."

Annabeth didn't let the surprise show on her face. Mrs. O'Leary was Percy's monster of a dog that didn't seem to like Annabeth all that much. When Percy first introduced the two yesterday, Mrs. O'Leary's thundering barks were enough to make Annabeth cower. But Percy clearly loved that dog and if she weren't well groomed, Percy would surely throw a fit.

"Understood, Mr. Jackson."

Percy disappeared into his room leaving Annabeth to carry on with her chores, starting with a second attempt at Percy's breakfast.

* * *

By some miracle, Annabeth finished almost every single chore and it was only early evening. All she needed to accomplish was washing Mrs. O'Leary.

Percy came strolling down the stairs, dressed in his usual suit. Annabeth would never admit it, but she thought that he would be almost handsome if it wasn't for his dreadful attitude.

"I'll be back in a few hours, I don't know what time exactly. If my dinner isn't still warm by the time I get back, there will be consequences."

'How am I supposed to keep your dinner warm when I don't even know when you'll be back?' Annabeth didn't voice her question and only bowed as Percy exited the mansion.

A few hours past, Annabeth managed to wash Mrs. O'Leary while avoiding the snapping of her jaws and she also had Percy's dinner ready. Much like the first dinner she made for him, it was a stew this time as well. It would be easy to keep warm for whenever Percy decided to return.

The sky outside had already turned black and it was well past dinnertime, but Percy still hadn't returned. She had offered Poseidon, Triton, and Tyson some of her stew and they accepted with gratitude and were fast asleep in their rooms by now. Still, Percy was gone. There was a small part of Annabeth that was worried. But there was a bigger part of her that was happy he was gone. The end of the first week was here but Annabeth felt more tired than she had ever been. Not even her stepfamily had worked her this hard. Of course, they spent most of the time abusing her. Percy replaced the battering with grueling chores. Annabeth hardly had time to eat her own meals with the amount of work Percy saddled her with. Yet this place was still better than her former home in Virginia.

Annabeth watched the clock tick. As happy as she was that she was away from Percy, she wanted him to return so he can eat his dinner, she would clean up after him and she could go to bed in that wonderfully warm and soft bed she now had. But it didn't seem like Percy would be back anytime soon.

Stifling a yawn, Annabeth was about to kill the fire on the stove when she heard the front door open and close. Lowering the heat, she walked out of the kitchen to greet her boss when she was confronted with the sight of Percy struggling to walk up the stairs. He left behind a trail of blood from the door to where he was on the fourth step. He tried to make one more step before collapsing on the staircase clutching his side. Annabeth ran up to him and bent down to assess the damage.

"Mr. Jackson, what's happened?" Annabeth asked, keeping her distance.

"Get away from me! I'm fine!"

"You are certainly not fine! Come now, let me see."

"I said get away!" Percy growled but he wouldn't intimidate Annabeth, not this time. He was bleeding at such a horrible rate that he would pass out any moment and maybe die. Annabeth thought Percy was an atrocious human being, but that didn't mean she should let him die.

"No, I won't get away!" Annabeth said in her firmest voice. Percy looked up at her through hooded eyes. "Let me help you, Mr. Jackson."

Percy clenched his jaw but he lifted his shirt to show Annabeth a large slash on his side. She gasped when she saw it but tried to remain calm even when her breathing became ragged. Annabeth had to help Percy despite her fear of touching other people. She told herself that she was doing it out of the goodness of her heart. But in the pit of her heart, she knew that wasn't the whole truth. If Percy died on this staircase, Annabeth would most likely be out of a job and she needed money. No Percy equals no caretaking job equals no money equals no hope of making her dreams come true.

"Come with me, Mr. Jackson. I'll tend to your wound."

"Don't be stupid, you're a just a maid not a doctor."

"Just come with me and you'll see." Annabeth hesitantly held out her hand. Percy stared at it with distaste. But his wound throbbed painfully and he decided that he would put his faith in Annabeth. He reached for her hand and Annabeth's hand retracted a little but she stopped herself and allowed Percy to grasp her hand in his. Annabeth couldn't help the rush of fear wash over her. She wanted to pull her hand away again but Percy needed her help so with all the willpower she could summon, she banished her fear from her body and helped Percy to his room.

They entered Percy's bathroom where Annabeth sat him down near the tub. She removed his shirt with shaky hands and began cleaning his wound with a washcloth and warm water. Percy winced every now and again but Annabeth didn't concern herself with it. She was more interested in keeping him alive and dressing his wound as soon as possible so she can get away from him as soon as possible. Being in such close quarters with him was distressing and she wanted to get away. But with another mental reminder of what was at stake, Annabeth endured.

Annabeth had to run downstairs to get a first aide kit and was happy to know that it included gloves and a needle and thread for stitches. Percy was gasping for air on the floor when Annabeth came back.

"Calm down, Mr. Jackson, and slow your breathing. You'll only die faster."

"What!" Percy tightly gripped the side of the tub and tried to lift himself but couldn't.

"Shush, please, I need to concentrate." Annabeth slipped on gloves and the needle in her hand shinned in Percy's eyes.

"Wait, don't you need anesthetics or somethi– Ow!" Annabeth began threading the needle in and out of Percy precisely. He grunted in pain but Annabeth continued despite Percy's constant curse words.

Annabeth managed to stitch Percy up good and tight and thankfully his blood was no longer escaping his body. In a sweat, Percy looked at Annabeth. She was removing her blood soaked gloves and disposing of them in the wastebasket. Though the bleeding had stopped he still lost a lot of blood. His vision was foggy and he could barely make out Annabeth's gentle face before he passed out.

"Oh, dear." Annabeth said. She left Percy leaning against the bathtub while she washed her hands. Annabeth smiled at the thought of leaving him there for the night but after seeing his pain-stricken face, she couldn't bring herself to leave him. So with all her might, she dragged him from the floor of his bathroom and did her very best to lift him onto his bed and place the covers over him. After making sure he was warm enough, Annabeth left the room.

After mopping up the bloody mess Percy made near the staircase and on the floors, Annabeth returned a few times during the night to wipe his forehead of sweat and to re-fluff his pillows. With peaceful sleep dominating his face, Percy looked positively angelic to Annabeth. She even noticed some drool dripping out of the corner of his mouth, which made her giggle.

A deep sigh escaped her as she pushed some hair away from his forehead. How such an aesthetically beautiful person can have such a revolting attitude was beyond her. And it made her think why she even bothered to check up on him. She doubted he would give her a proper thank you if she got a thank you at all. But she also knew that if she didn't take care of him, then she wouldn't be doing her job. And she was determined to make sure Poseidon got his moneys worth.

Percy's eyes opened to slits whenever she sat on his bedside and wiped sweat from his forehead. The only thought that entered his mind was why was this girl doing this for him. Not once since they met has he shown her kindness or respect. But here she was, coming into his room periodically just to make sure he was comfortable. How strangely delightful of her…

He fell asleep again and didn't wake until the sun was up again. He knew he shouldn't be getting up, but he wanted to know what Annabeth was up to. This was the time when Annabeth would usually bring him breakfast but she isn't there. Right when he took off his covers, his bedroom door opened to reveal Annabeth carrying a bed breakfast tray with a plate of buttered toast, poached eggs, strips of bacon and links of sausage. It smelled delicious, making Percy lick his lips.

"Feeling all right, sir?" Annabeth asked, placing the tray in front of Percy.

Percy gulped. The rays of sunshine hit Annabeth's face and she looked even more radiant than usual. He was finding it difficult to say the right words to her.

"Has your strength returned? Shall I feed you?" Annabeth asked and she immediately regretted her offer. She didn't want to be near Percy any longer than was necessary.

Percy thought blood hasn't returned to his brain yet. This must be a dream. Even he could tell that his caretaker Annabeth disliked him. In fact, "dislike" is an understatement. Percy Jackson repulsed Annabeth Chase.

"That would be very helpful." Percy answered slowly.

Annabeth nodded and sat on the side of his bed. With great effort and courage, she dismissed her feelings of anxiety as she picked up the knife and fork and began cutting up the sausage and puncturing the yokes of the eggs, letting the yokes run over the toast. She fed Percy a mouthful of eggs and sausage and Percy concluded that this couldn't have been a dream. Not even in his dreams was food this tasteful. Not to mention that Percy's dreams could never accurately recreate the beauty that is Annabeth.

When all his food was consumed, Annabeth held a glass of orange juice Percy's lips and tipped the glass as he gulped it down. Percy was at least strong enough to dab his mouth with a napkin.

"That was delectable, Miss Annabeth." Percy said when Annabeth picked up the tray. She stared at him in disbelief. That was the first time he had ever addressed her by something other than "servant" or "woman" or something else along the lines of those. At least since the first day she met him. He actually addressed her by her name. "Is there a problem, Miss Annabeth?"

"No, of course not, sir." She left to take the dishes to the kitchen and came back to Percy's room to fluff his pillows. "Just rest, Mr. Jackson, and you should be back to yourself in no time." Annabeth was referring to Percy's previous vile personality.

But Percy smiled even when he couldn't help feeling that Annabeth was distancing herself from him. She gave off an uncomfortable aura that told him that something was wrong.

"Are you all right?" He asked gently.

"Of course I am." She said, looking up at him with her intense gray eyes. "You're the one who isn't all right. What happened to you, Mr. Jackson?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Percy nodded. Annabeth's face flashed with apprehension.

"What's more important is how were you able to patch me up? It seemed like you've done it before."

Annabeth took a while to talk. Her eyes looked around the room, deciding what to say. Percy predicted a lie to come out of her mouth.

"I have done it before. My stepbrothers were often involved in bar fights and it was up to me to make sure they were all right." Annabeth didn't mention that her stepbrothers wouldn't go to a doctor because they were the instigators of said fights and they would surely be prosecuted.

Percy stared at Annabeth. Although he was expecting a lie, from the look in her eyes, Annabeth was telling nothing but the truth. He had a feeling that wasn't the whole truth. But she answered his question nonetheless.

He gave her a nod of understanding and she began walking out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"There are dishes to be washed and laundry to be done. And Mrs. O'Leary decided it would be fun to jump in a mud pit near the horse stables."

Percy was struck with a wave of guilt. He wasn't giving this woman as much credit as she deserved and he certainly wasn't treating her right. Remembering how he yelled at her yesterday made him wince. That was uncalled for as Annabeth never would have entered if Percy hadn't allowed her. And that made him remember how she dropped the breakfast tray in shock leading up to her cutting her hand open. He hadn't meant to frighten her when she struck out at him and his pride wouldn't let him overlook her attempted assault. It was all his fault that Annabeth didn't want anything to do with him.

"No, no, you don't have to do those today. Just have the day off, Miss Annabeth." He said politely.

Annabeth's eyes widened. She was taken aback by this display of kindness. She half expected him to smirk and tell her he was kidding and to hurry and finish her chores but Percy continued to smile genuinely at her. It was a smile that Annabeth thought lit up the room.

"No, it's all right, sir. I've already started. Your shirts are soaking and I have to rise them then hang them to dry."

"Miss Annabeth, just take the evening off."

"Thank you, sir. But I plan on giving your father his money's worth."

Percy could see that no amount of convincing was going to make Annabeth take the day off. He was hoping that she would spend the day tending to him every now and then and her presence was calming to him.

But maybe if he were forward with what he wanted, Annabeth would be more than willing to oblige.

"Well, since I'm in need of some bed rest, I'd like company and I was wondering if–"

"Would you like me to contact Miss Rachel and Miss Calypso?"

Percy scowled at hearing their names. He was not interested in spending quality time with them. In fact, now that he thinks about it, he feels ashamed that Annabeth saw him in bed with two other women. Had he no shame? Why on earth had he given her permission to enter at such a time?

But he knew the answer. He wanted to see Annabeth's reaction. If she seemed angry or jealous, Percy would know that Annabeth has some sort of interest or attraction to him. But no, Annabeth was embarrassed to witness such a scene and she was more focused on getting away.

What a fool he had been. Not only had he used an underhanded tactic to find out what Annabeth thought of him, he also used Rachel and Calypso. Granted, he hardly cared for them. But it still wasn't right.

"Ah, no thank you, Miss Annabeth. That's quite all right." Percy smiled at her. Annabeth still seemed to be shocked at any kind gesture Percy offered her. But she let herself give a small and shy smile back. Percy couldn't believe how wonderful he felt seeing Annabeth's smile directed at him.

Before Percy could get his thoughts together to formulate another sentence, Annabeth walked out of the door to finish her chores, leaving Percy to muse on his thoughts. He was happy he was clumsy last night because now he learned that Annabeth was so much more than just gorgeous.

* * *

**The romance aspect of the story has officially begun. There currently isn't much romantic interest on Annabeth's part, but Percy's had his eye on Annabeth since last chapter, even if it was only in a shallow way. But his feelings are developing.**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter is currently in production! Recommend this story to your friends. **

**Chapter 8 of My Tutor is out, btw, so please read and review it.**

**So how was this chapter? Did it live up to expectation? Do you have any feedback? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews. I am very grateful for each and every one of them!**** But I don't think I ever apologized for the delay, so sorry for the enormous wait for chapter 3. Please don't hold it against me.**

* * *

**A Twisted Tale of Cinderella**

**Chapter 4**

Percy knew he wasn't supposed to, but clutching his side and careful not to open his sutures, he climbed out of bed and headed to look out his ceiling-to-floor windows. It was a struggle but he managed.

After Annabeth finished feeding him breakfast, he had seen her only once more when she brought him lunch. By then he was strong enough to feed himself and he did so in a hurry, hoping to have time to start a conversation with Annabeth. But she took his dishes out of the room so fast that Percy hadn't even finished swallowing his last mouthful. And now he was without her presence until suppertime.

He surveyed the horizon from his window, looking out onto the horse stables and the garden his mother used to tend to. It was overgrown with towering weeds with none of her beautiful flowers to speak of. Percy's eyes narrowed in sadness at the dead garden. He had hoped to keep it up for his mother when she passed, but he never got around to doing so. There were too many obligations Percy had to face and the gardener – what was her name again, Katie? – disappeared with the rest of his former staff when Percy's attitude was at its worse. So the garden died slowly, just like his mother had.

But Percy's eye caught a glimpse of movement in the brush. The weeds were parting, some from the middle being plucked and tossed to the side. A trail of barren ground where the weeds had been pulled was becoming more visible until finally, out of the forest of a garden came Annabeth. She was dressed in her usual clothing but she had taken to wearing gloves and a gardening hat with a ribbon that tied under her chin. Percy thought she looked adorable. She was huffing from exhaustion, making her way out of the garden. One of the stray weeds got caught on the back of her skirt and pulled on her as she walked. Feeling the tugging force, Annabeth flinched and swiftly spun around, untangling the weed from her shirt. Percy chuckled at seeing Annabeth's surprised panic. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks went pink with embarrassment that it was only a weed. She looked around as if to make sure that no one had seen her in her momentary state of hysteria and she gave a sigh of relieve, obviously not aware of Percy.

He would have laughed out loud at his charming caretaker but he was afraid of opening his stitches. So he sighed instead. He had never instructed her to do anything about their poor garden. But there she was, pulling giant weeds out of the ground.

Percy continued to watch her for a while longer and it was very entertaining. On a particularly stubborn weed, Annabeth locked her hands close to the root and pulled so hard that when the weed was finally uprooted, she fell backwards onto her bottom gracelessly. Percy could practically hear the surprised grunt escape Annabeth's lips when she stood back up and rubbed her aching rump. Percy's smile grew.

Tyson came running towards Annabeth with Mrs. O'Leary on his heels when Annabeth was nearly done pulling weeds. She dusted off her skirt and greeted Tyson with a smile and Mrs. O'Leary with a warning glare. Percy saw that Mrs. O'Leary's black fur was shimmering with water droplets. Annabeth must have just washed her for a second time.

Annabeth showed Tyson how to pull weeds but Tyson was so small and the weeds' roots were so strong that he wasn't much help at all. So while Tyson chased Mrs. O'Leary around, Annabeth finished with the rest of the weeds. After disposing of them in a green bin, Annabeth took off her gardening gloves and gestured towards the tree swing. Percy saw Tyson's face light up. Tyson and Annabeth raced towards the swing followed by Mrs. O'Leary. Percy couldn't help the gentle smile that found it's way onto his face while he watched Annabeth lift Tyson onto the swing and softly push him. Mrs. O'Leary was running circles around them.

Percy took a moment to admire how Annabeth's pulled back hair bounced after every push and how brilliant her curls reflected sunlight of late afternoon. Whenever Annabeth was in close proximity to Percy, such as the time she was feeding him breakfast that morning, he caught a whiff of lemon scent from her hair. It was hypnotizing.

But her eyes were a different story. The gray orbs went well with her hair and would sometimes even take on the colors of objects she was looking at. She'd turn her eyes on Percy and he'd lose himself in them. Even when she directed a glare at him, something he noticed is what she did quite often, Percy's heart beat more rapidly than it usually did. Yet as beautiful as they were, Percy sensed something else in her eyes. Loss, hardship, maybe even a secret. Percy had seen eyes like Annabeth's before. They stared back at him every time he looked at his reflection.

Averting his gaze from Annabeth towards the sky, he saw hues of orange, red, and purple. The sun was setting. That meant Annabeth would be bringing him dinner soon. And Percy couldn't wait for that.

He watched Annabeth stop the swing and help Tyson off. She held out her hand to which Tyson fondly grasped and the two, plus Mrs. O'Leary, headed towards the back entrance of the mansion. A spark of jealously ignited in Percy when he glimpsed at their conjoined hands. But she was holding hands with his little brother, for the sake of the gods. There is no reason to be jealous over something so trivial.

But it wasn't trivial. More than a few times, Percy noticed Annabeth flinch and the urgency in her face when she looked at Percy's hands. And he could sense that Annabeth wanted to be as far away from him as possible. It made his heart heavy. He wanted to be able to get near her without seeing her body stiffening up. Of all the things Percy could be jealous of his little brother for, he never thought it would be over the hand of a woman. And Tyson was four!

Percy's scowl disappeared when he realized how ridiculous he was being and he continued to watch Annabeth and Tyson swing their joined hands rhythmically as they made their way towards the door. Mrs. O'Leary started nuzzling her nose into Annabeth's unoccupied hand. Annabeth looked a tad annoyed but she scratched the back of Mrs. O'Leary's head. The giant dog avoided Annabeth's petting and persisted in sniffing Annabeth's hand. Then the dog shot past them towards the horse stables right towards a certain mud pit. Percy's eyes shifted towards Annabeth when he realized what his dog was about to do and saw the horror stricken face of Annabeth. Tyson started laughing when Mrs. O'Leary rolled around in the mud. Annabeth's shoulders dropped in disappointment and she glared viciously when Mrs. O'Leary returned to her side.

Percy couldn't hear because he was on the third floor and behind glass, but he was sure that Annabeth's lips read, "I hate you." Mrs. O'Leary just panted and licked Annabeth's hand. Although Percy could tell Annabeth was trying her best to maintain her anger towards the dog, his caretaker soon relented and patted Mrs. O'Leary's head.

She and Tyson turned around to go back inside when Tyson stopped in his tracks and pointed up towards Percy. It was too late and painful for Percy to dive out of sight so he stayed grounded as Annabeth's gaze followed the path of Tyson's pointed finger. Percy and Annabeth locked eyes. From his peripheral vision, Percy could see Tyson waving at him but as much as he loved his little brother, Percy's eyes were fixated on Annabeth only. She didn't do anything but gawk at Percy with astonishment on her divine face. Percy smirked and waved at her. Annabeth hesitantly waved back but then Percy pointed towards his mother's garden and Annabeth's head whipped towards the large and weed-free patch of soil. Her eyes got bigger as realization struck her. When a blush covered her cheeks she rushed back into the mansion with Tyson barely able to keep up.

A small laugh left Percy and he climbed back into bed to wait for Annabeth to be up with his supper.

* * *

So far, Annabeth was successful at avoiding Percy. After the horrifying experience of feeding him breakfast, Annabeth came up with a few excuses to keep her busy for the day and away from him. There were only a few dishes in the sink and she could clean them right up in five minutes at most. But she scrubbed every dish for nearly five minutes each instead. Percy's shirts wouldn't have been dirty if Annabeth didn't drop them onto the grass when she retrieved them from the clothesline. And Mrs. O'Leary wouldn't have had a speck of mud on her if Annabeth didn't throw her a bone right next to a mud puddle by the horse stables.

Now, an hour after she washed Mrs. O'Leary for a third time, it was time to bring her master his dinner. She was dreading it. Not only would she rather not be in the same room as Percy, she was humiliated at knowing Percy was watching her pull weeds. Oh and she was such a clumsy oaf! If he had seen her pull weeds, oh no, she thought, had he also seen her lure Mrs. O'Leary into the mud pit with that T-bone? Oh gods, what if he figured out that she was going out of her way to avoid him?

But he waved at her with a smile on his face. What could that possibly mean? Annabeth called upon her memory to tell her of the many misdeeds Percy committed against her: he constantly and unjustly yelled at her, called her to his side for ridiculous reasons, he put her to work and demanded the tasked be completed before the next time he blinked, and he scared her out of his mind with any movement of his hand. Based on her past experiences with Percy, she could only conclude that the smile Percy gave her was malicious. He saw her weeding his mother's garden and it had displeased him. Annabeth was only trying to be helpful. She saw the sad excuse for a garden and wanted to restore it to its former beauty that Triton and Tyson so fondly told her about.

Triton spoke of how that garden belonged to Percy's mother. Triton, Percy, and Tyson all had different mothers (maybe Juniper was right about Poseidon being a dirty old man) but only Triton's mother was still alive. Tyson's mother died in childbirth but Triton didn't tell her what happened to Percy's mother and Annabeth was thankful for that. She didn't need a reason to feel sorry for Percy. She already felt sorry for him because he was so heartless. The person Annabeth felt bad for was Percy's mother. Her garden was in ruins and her hooligan of a son couldn't care less. Annabeth's heart ached for the deceased woman and with great caution she asked Poseidon if it was all right to take the garden under her care. Relief flooded her when Poseidon agreed.

When Tyson pointed out Percy's figure in the window, Annabeth thought she would collapse. How could she not have noticed him? He didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't watching her. It made Annabeth feel uncomfortable. The further she is from Percy Jackson, the better. And that could be achieved in a few short months when she saved enough money to hire bodyguards and move back to Virginia to repurchase her father's company. If she had to endure being close to Percy for a few months, finally leaving his side forever would be all the more rewarding.

Bringing Percy's supper up the stairs, Annabeth's shoe slipped off when she lifted her foot to the next step. Carefully turning around so as not tip the dinner tray, Annabeth scolded herself for her odd little habit. One of her shoes would slip off her foot and Annabeth had no idea how it happened. But it happened to her every so often, even in unfortunate situations like when she ran down the stairs from Percy's room and her shoe caused her to fall. Not wanting to dwell on something insignificant she quickly slipped on her little black flat and continued up the stairs.

She opened Percy's bedroom door to find him sitting on his bed, his face beaming as soon as he saw her. For a second, Annabeth thought that his smile was gentle. But she knew better. It was a smile with wicked intent.

"So nice of you to come by, Miss Annabeth." He said to her and threw off his covers. He was bare-chested and Annabeth winced at seeing his sutures. There was no denying how attractive Percy was, even Annabeth thought so. His face alone could have captivated her for days. But as handsome of a face he had, Annabeth had to avert her gaze from him so she wouldn't see his wound. It was so ghastly that even Percy's face couldn't make up for it. Well, Annabeth thought as her eyes darted towards Percy's face for a split second, maybe Percy's appeal did make up for the wound.

_But only barely!_ She quickly added with a slight blush, setting the tray down on the rectangular table near the windows.

A grunt from Percy made her look towards him and she saw him struggling to walk towards the table. His hand was on the bed for support. She had half a mind to assist him, but one look at Percy's hands sent her recoiling behind a chair.

But her voice seemed to have a mind of its own. "Do you require assistance, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy looked up from the ground. He was shocked, to say the least. Annabeth was offering him help? He would be able to have his arm around her and she would be holding on to his waist, what an exquisite image his mind conjured.

"I can handle myself." Percy said when he reached the end of the bed and had to walk a few more feet towards the table. Then he gulped when he realized his comment did not come out as friendly as he had hoped.

"Oh." Annabeth resisted the urge to shake her head at his insolence. "Well, then I'm sorry for bothering you." She said as Percy collapsed onto a chair.

"I, uh, I didn't intent to sound impolite." Percy explained and he brought his plate closer to him.

"I'm sure you didn't." Annabeth said and turned to leave.

"Um, Miss Annabeth?" Percy called.

"Yes?"

"What is that in your hair?" Percy pointed towards her forehead.

"Something's in my hair?" Annabeth ran her hands through her hair but she couldn't feel anything.

"There's a part of your hair that's a different color than the rest. Is it gray?"

"Oh, that." Annabeth twirled the small locks of gray hair on her index finger. "I… I remembered how you said you didn't like my blond hair a few days ago. You said the color gave you a headache."

Percy gulped. He had forgotten about that. "But why is only a small section of your hair gray?"

"I was experimenting late last night but I must have mixed the dye wrong. It was supposed to be light brown." She stroked her gray streak in embarrassment.

"How come I didn't see it before when you brought breakfast and lunch?"

"I hid them as best I could before coming into your room. I must have forgotten to fix my hair again when I took off my gardening hat."

"I didn't mean for you to dye your hair. You don't need to dye your hair anymore."

Annabeth nodded. She was eternally grateful for this new piece of information then turned to walk out the door.

"Wait, Miss Annabeth! There's something else."

"How may I be of assistance?"

"I don't need any help at the moment." This time Percy spoke slowly and warily. "Actually, I'd–" Percy paused. He hesitated because he was afraid of what Annabeth might say. But knowing this may be his only opportunity he decided to go through with it. "I'd like to thank you for helping me last night."

Annabeth didn't say anything. Her eyebrows knitted and her eyes narrowed. Was this some kind of trick?

"And I'd like to thank you for all the hard work you've done for me since you started working here." Percy went on.

"Are you…?" Annabeth began. "Are you feeling well, sir?" The bizarre behavior Percy was exhibiting puzzled her. Percy Jackson isn't supposed to be kind. Perhaps he was ill.

"Thanks to you, I feel much better than I did last night."

"No, I mean is something wrong? Do you have a fever?" She reached out to feel his forehead but stopped a few inches from brushing his bangs away. Annabeth was shocked at her own actions as she held her hand to her face and eyed it with disgust. It was different when she had consciously decided to touch him. She needed to be able to make contact with him in order to stitch up his wound. That was a life and death situation. It took all of Annabeth's willpower to help him. But now she casually reached out for him. It scared her.

Percy felt his forehead with the back of his hand when it became apparent that Annabeth would not be feeling his forehead anytime soon.

"No, I don't have a fever. Maybe you're the one who is unwell, Miss Annabeth." Percy watched Annabeth's hand tremble. He stood up using the table as leverage. Annabeth was too mystified with the almost betrayal of her hand that she didn't even notice Percy standing in front of her. "Are you all right?" He asked and put his palm on her cheek to feel her temperature.

Annabeth gasped when his hand made contact with her cheek. Her breathing quickened while memories of Matthew and Bobby's attacks flooded her mind. There was a loud thumping noise in her ear and she realized it was the loud sound of her pulse. Her brain felt like it was throbbing. The whites of her eyes made themselves more apparent because of her widening eyes. She turned her shocked expression towards Percy and saw his mouth moving but she couldn't hear anything. The pulse in her ear was too loud.

Percy's eyebrows knitted. "Are you all right?" He repeated for the fifth time. None of his words seemed to be getting through to Annabeth. She was having some sort of panic attack and her body started shaking just like her hands had been. "Miss Annabeth?"

"Don't touch me!" Annabeth screamed, making Percy flinch in surprise and retract his hand. His caretaker's body shook more rapidly and Percy grew worried.

"Annabeth, Annabeth!" He grabbed her by her upper arms to steady her but she began to flail wildly in his arms.

"Get away!" Her fists were flying onto his chest repeatedly and when he was about to let go, Annabeth kneed him in the side, right next to his wound. Percy fell backwards into his chair and held his side. His eyes shut tightly in a painful wince but he was able to open one eye enough to see Annabeth's grief-stricken face. "Don't ever touch me again!" She yelled and darted out of the room.

Annabeth's sobs wouldn't stop when she ran down the stairs towards her room and slammed the door with a deafening bang. She made sure to lock the door before she threw herself onto the bed and cried into a pillow. Never before had she wanted to leave this horrible place so badly. And it was all due to Percy touching her cheek.

To make things worse, it was all her fault. If she had just accepted his gratitude instead of thinking he was up to no good, this wouldn't have happened. Was it really that hard for her to believe Percy was a good person? Those weren't evil smiles he was emitting. They were benevolent smiles. Percy had been cruel to her for days and had just now started to show kindness. Was it so bad judgment to want to trust him? Annabeth didn't know the answer. All she did know was that it hurt.

This is her stepfamily's entire fault. They conditioned Annabeth to want to mistrust people. People were by nature evil creatures, except for the few who transcended that truth: her father, mother, Grover, Juniper, Tyson, Triton, Poseidon… maybe Percy.

Maybe? Why maybe? Why couldn't she fully include Percy into that list?

* * *

Annabeth had cried herself to sleep every night after that incident. She didn't know why, though. She blocked out any memories of the past three years in Virginia yet there was still a strong tug on her chest. The peculiar thing was that the tug always led her to Percy.

It had already been two weeks and she and Percy weren't speaking to each other. Annabeth would bring him his breakfast while he was still asleep and she'd find a small list of chores to complete for the day. Every morning for about twenty seconds, she'd hold the list in her hands but her eyes were on Percy's sleeping face. Another tug would pull at her chest and she'd rush out door before who knows what happened. She'd only return to bring him lunch and dinner when he was conveniently out with the horses or in his father's study. Then the cycle would start all over again.

Cry, bring the boss breakfast, chores, bring the boss lunch, chores, bring the boss dinner, chores, and then back to crying. The routine didn't take much effort, but it was still tiresome.

But the real reason Annabeth felt so distressed is that she missed the sound of Percy's voice and she couldn't figure out why. The longing to hear him speak scared her. It was unhealthy, wasn't it? She shouldn't be missing a voice that yelled at her constantly. But it wasn't his yelling that she wanted to hear. She wanted to hear Percy speak to her compassionately like he had done before her breakdown. She wanted to make conversation with him. Even though her mind told her it was stupid, she couldn't deny how much she wanted to talk to him, if only to explain and apologize for her earlier behavior.

Annabeth wasn't being fair to Percy. Granted, Percy hadn't been treating her fairly since the beginning. But in that small moment when he had thanked her, she sensed that he was searching for redemption in Annabeth's eyes. She felt like she could trust him. She wanted to trust him. And although her better judgment wanted her to stay as far away from Percy as possible, she knew she couldn't.

Besides, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?

Matthew and Bobby's evil laughter echoed in Annabeth's ears. _No, not everyone deserves a second chance._

Then one of Percy's gentler smiles appeared in her mind and she matched the picture she was imagining with her own smile. _But second chances do exist for some._

* * *

There was something very odd about this morning. Percy was awake when Annabeth opened the door with his breakfast. Their eyes met for the first time in weeks and the sea green hue of Percy's eyes was still as brilliant as Annabeth remembered.

He awkwardly cleared his throat and got up from bed. "I forgot to write a list of chores last night. Just let me write them down and I'll be out of your way." Percy walked from his bed towards his desk and pulled out a paper and pen. While he was scribbling, Annabeth set his breakfast down on the table near the windows and waited patiently. She repeated what Percy had just said to her in her mind and savored it. It would probably be the only words she heard from him in a while.

But she was blessed when he spoke again.

"Here you go." Percy placed the paper onto the table and pushed it towards Annabeth. He quickly withdrew his hands when he saw Annabeth reaching for it. "Thank you for all the meals, Miss Annabeth." A ghost of a smile played on his lips.

She tried to speak but Annabeth couldn't find her voice so she nodded. Before she turned around to leave, Annabeth scanned Percy's form. He looked like he didn't even have the chance to change out of his suit. He was still wearing his dress pants but his dress shirt was undone, exposing his toned chest. Annabeth wanted to avert her eyes but she caught sight of his wound and her voice finally cooperated with her.

"Oh my, your suture." Annabeth pointed at his side. "They look like they're about ready to come out."

Percy moved his shirt to the side to get a better look at his stitches. "So they do."

Anabeth gulped. "If you want…" She took a deep calming breath. "I can remove them for you."

Percy's eyes locked onto Annabeth's form. She might have been imagining it all but in his stare, Annabeth saw things she didn't think Percy was capable of feeling when she first met him. There was caution, doubt, and sorrow.

"That all depends, Miss Annabeth, if you want to or not." He said. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

His answer made Annabeth feel horrible and that surprised her. This man treated her badly in the beginning. She didn't think she would ever feel guilty for making him feel like she didn't want to be near him. When she first met him, Annabeth would have been just fine if their paths only crossed when she brought him his meals. She constantly told herself that staying away from Percy was best. But he looked at her with those eyes that Annabeth could have sworn belonged to a baby seal and the sharp tug on her chest worsened.

"It's all right, Mr. Jackson." Annabeth put down the list and walked up to Percy until she was inches away from him. She lifted her head to look up at him. "I want to help you."

Percy tried to contain his grin but it appeared anyways. "Thank you." He whispered. The day before, Percy had phoned a doctor to make a house call, but this was a million times more preferred. After the excruciating days of silence, Annabeth was offering Percy her aid. The disastrous moment the two experienced together still hadn't left his mind and he wanted to know what had gotten into Annabeth, but he knew better than to ask. He would not risk alienating her again.

And he was ashamed of himself. He knew better. After Annabeth specifically told (more accurately, yelled at) him not to touch her, he grabbed her. It was such simple concept: If someone doesn't want to be touched then don't lay a finger on them! But some people just didn't understand that. Now it seemed as though Percy was one of those people and he couldn't be more chagrined. Demeaning thoughts about himself ran through his head these past few weeks but now that Annabeth was willing to lend him a helping hand, his mind was now at ease.

He slipped off his shirt and the tinge of pink on Annabeth's cheeks didn't go unnoticed. Percy stayed quiet when Annabeth's wary fingers grazed his skin. It was a sensation that he never felt before. Back when Annabeth first helped him, the pain of the cut was too intense for him to feel anything else. But now that he was well enough to feel her fingers on him, he decided he liked the feel and closed his eyes to enjoy it. But then Annabeth withdrew her fingers. Percy opened his eyes and tried to hide the disappointment in his face when he looked at Annabeth.

"I'll be back with the medical kit." She said and left the room. When she returned she was wearing gloves with the medical kit in her hand.

Percy imagined what Annabeth would look like wearing one of those cute nurse's outfits complete with a hat with the red cross on it. The image was the loveliest thing Percy had ever seen and it wasn't even real.

"Please be calm, sir." Annabeth coaxed him into a chair then she kneeled down and began removing the sutures. Unlike last time when she was begrudgingly helping him, right now, all she wanted was for Percy to be okay.

Percy's skin was sensitive and he felt sharp pains shoot through his skin but then Annabeth gently placed her hand over Percy's navel to calm him. He was happy that he was seated then for his knees would have given out if he were standing. The comforting feel of Annabeth's hands on him was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Annabeth found that the removal of Percy's stitches went smoother than she expected. Percy would wince and grunt at the sparks of pain as Annabeth carefully plucked the wire out with tweezers. So to sooth him, Annabeth tried placing her hand over his stomach. It was intimidating and took mighty amounts of willpower but it worked like a charm. She could feel Percy's breathing soften and she looked up at his face to see him smiling down at her like she was a gift from the gods.

After Annabeth finished, she went into the bathroom to dispose of her gloves and clean her hands and tools. Percy observed her handy work in the mirror next to his closet and smiled. It was still a disgusting mar on his skin, but it was healing nicely. Thanks to Annabeth. He heard the door of his bathroom open and Annabeth stepped out, placing her tools back into the kit.

"Miss Annabeth?"

She tucked a stray wave behind her ear and suddenly she was happy that the gray dye had faded from her hair. "You may call me Annabeth if you'd like."

Percy didn't think the smile on his face could grow any bigger but it did. "Annabeth… Thank you."

Annabeth wrapped gaze over his torso and fastened it with a small bow. It didn't really fit with Percy's masculinity but she thought it looked cute. "You've already thanked me, sir."

"Well, it isn't enough to express my gratitude." It was true. Percy would be dead if it weren't for her. Thanking her for her compassion was the very least he could do, especially after his previous mistreatment of her. There had to be something else he could do for her. There had to be another small way to thank her for her thoughtfulness and to make up for abusing her services.

"I'm just doing my job, Mr. Jackson."

"I see. And another thing." The blood coursing through his veins ran cold. He was nervous.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry." Percy couldn't remember the last time he had apologized to anyone. The words felt odd coming out of his mouth. But he owed it to Annabeth.

"What ever for?"

"It's no secret that I haven't been treating you with the respect you deserve. And I admit I may have been purposely trying to get on your nerves in the beginning." A handsome and toothy grin appeared on his face. "But only a little bit." He tried to joke. He hoped it would not be a sore subject for her but it would be perfectly understandable if it were.

"Really?" Annabeth put her hand over her heart in mock surprise, playing along with him which made Percy sigh in relief. "I wouldn't have even guessed."

Percy chuckled but then his smile died down in apprehension. "I know it's a lot to ask, but am I forgiven?"

Annabeth looked away from him. Was he worthy of her forgiveness? Her pride was yelling at her to spit in his face. But he recognized that he made a mistake, well, a lot of mistakes. The acknowledgment of past misdeeds was worth something, at least to Annabeth. She thought of her stepfamily again. They didn't deserve forgiveness. They made Annabeth so cautious that it was difficult to forge relationships with people. She didn't want to live like that forever.

After a deep breath that swallowed her pride, she whispered, "You are."

Percy beamed, gaining enough confidence to ask her something that he's wanted to ask since he first met her. "And I'd like to ask you something else."

"Yes, sir?"

Her gentle voice flustered Percy, making it hard to say his next words. "Well, I get a bit lonely cooped up in my room most days and nights. Eating all of my meals all by myself..." He trailed off and wondered if Annabeth was catching on to where he was heading.

"Shall I summon Miss Rachel or Miss Calypso?" Annabeth paused for a moment and shuttered when she recalled what she had witnessed in Percy's bedroom a few weeks ago. "Or both?"

"What? No. Um..." He wanted to believe that Annabeth had forgotten all about Rachel and Calypso but apparently not. Knowing she still felt the need to mention the ladies made Percy all the more edgy but he cleared his throat anxiously. "I was hoping you'd have dinner with me this evening. Please?"

Unexpectedly, Annabeth felt her heart leap. But then she remembered who Percy was and her heart sank further than it had leapt. Her boss wanted to share dinner with her? It didn't seem at all professional.

"Oh, well that sounds wonderful, sir." Percy grinned and began nodding, encouraging her to go on. "But I'm afraid it wouldn't be very appropriate, don't you agree?"

Percy's smile plummeted in discouragement. "No. What's inappropriate about it?"

"You're my boss, Mr. Jackson."

"And?" Percy prompted. Honestly, it was only dinner. It wasn't as though he was asking her on a (gulp) date. "Please call me Percy."

"I don't think I will, Mr. Jackson."

"And why not?" Percy pressed. He would normally be fed up with someone this stubborn. But this was Annabeth. He liked the spirit in her.

Annabeth didn't think Percy would be so insistent so she stood her ground. "It wouldn't be appropriate either."

"What would happen if I ordered you to call me Percy and to have dinner with me?" Percy smirked thinking he had her in his grasp, figuratively of course.

"Then I'd go to your father and explain to him the situation. He pulls rank on you and I'm more than sure he'd understand my point of view."

The smirk was wiped off of Percy's face in an instant. "Is having dinner with someone really that big a deal?"

"Certainly not. But when that someone is my boss," Annabeth looked Percy over and he suddenly felt self-conscious, "then yes."

"Come now, Annabeth, it's just dinner." He cajoled. His eyes became large with his eyebrows scrunched up and his lips formed a pout.

Annabeth put a hand over her mouth to cover a small smile. A blush painted her cheeks. "No, thank you, Mr. Jackson."

"It's Percy."

"It's Mr. Jackson to me, sir."

"Percy."

"Mr. Jackson." There was a spark in her large gray eyes but she turned away. Percy smiled at Annabeth's retreating form. He wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to but that didn't stop him from wanting to get to know her. She may look like an angel but she was a challenge.

And he was more than up for a challenge.

* * *

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! This chapter is a little longer than the previous chapters so I hope that pleases you.**

**So Percy's beginning to develop emotional attraction in addition to his physical attraction to Annabeth. Yay! Remember that he would have been nice to her from the beginning if Annabeth had accepted his handshake and he is currently trying to repent for his past mistakes because he's deeply affected when Annabeth helped him despite his mistreatment of her. And thank goodness Annabeth is taking steps to get over her fears. Please keep in mind that Percy has been on Annabeth's mind for about two weeks in this chapter and in that time she's been trying to allow herself to trust him. **

**Did anyone notice that in chapter 2, I tried to describe Annabeth's maid uniform as what Cinderella wears in the Disney movie? And did anyone catch that in chapter 3, Percy uttered the same set of chores that Lady Tremaine (Wicked Stepmother) told Cinderella to do when she thought Cinderella tried to prank Anastasia by putting a mouse under her teacup? No? No one noticed? All right then... Nothing to do here...**

**Maybe I should change the story's cover art since Annabeth doesn't even wear an outfit like that. But it's just so cute!**

**Other Story Status Update: Chapter 9 of **_**My Tutor**_** is out! Please read it if you haven't already. Chapter 6 of **_**Mystify**_** is taking a lot longer than I thought. ****Oh, and Chapter 10 of _My Tutor _is in progress.**

**Any feedback? Please review to tell me what you thought about the chapter. :)**


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